A former drug addict had cleaned up her life but died accidentally after she lapsed and took methadone.

At an inquest in Reading on March 13, coroner Ravi Sidhu heard how Samantha Allen, 39, had been prescribed methadone after becoming addicted to smoking heroin.

However she has suffered from recurring pneumonia and in July last year, when she was in hospital, she “took the opportunity to detoxify”, according to community drugs worker Antonio Sanchez.

Mr Sidhu read a statement from Miss Allen’s partner of 19 years, Lance Rolfe, who said he left their home in Kingsbridge Road, Whitley, on November 26, last year, to go to work.

During the day he received a text message from her telling him she loved him.

When he returned home, he found the house locked, knocked on the door and got no answer.

He let himself in and found Miss Allen lying on the sofa. He called 999 and was told to attempt to resuscitate her while waiting for an ambulance.

Paramedics arrived at 7.30pm and estimated she had been dead for about six hours.

Mr Sanchez said, in a statement, Miss Allen had problems with her chest and with asthma.

He also said her two sons were in care as a consequence of her past drug use.

Emma Harris, forensic scientist, said a toxicology test showed the amount of methadone per litre of blood in Miss Allen was “consistent with taking it as prescribed” but was also “within the range of values which fatalities can occur”.

A post mortem report said: “Loss of tolerance means that a previously tolerated dose can prove to be fatal.”

The coroner concluded she died from methadone toxicity and recorded a verdict of accidental death.